Until　we　understand　that　original　dark；　in　which　we　have　neither
  sight　nor　expectation；　we　can　give　no　hearty　and　childlike
  praise　to　the　splendid　sensationalism　of　things。　　The　terms
  〃pessimism〃　and　〃optimism；〃　like　most　modern　terms；　are　unmeaning。
  But　if　they　can　be　used　in　any　vague　sense　as　meaning　something；
  we　may　say　that　in　this　great　fact　pessimism　is　the　very　basis
  of　optimism。　　The　man　who　destroys　himself　creates　the　universe。
  To　the　humble　man；　and　to　the　humble　man　alone；　the　sun　is　really　a　sun；
  to　the　humble　man；　and　to　the　humble　man　alone；　the　sea　is　really　a　sea。
  When　he　looks　at　all　the　faces　in　the　street；　he　does　not　only
  realize　that　men　are　alive；　he　realizes　with　a　dramatic　pleasure
  that　they　are　not　dead。
  I　have　not　spoken　of　another　aspect　of　the　discovery　of　humility
  as　a　psychological　necessity；　because　it　is　more　commonly　insisted　on；
  and　is　in　itself　more　obvious。　　But　it　is　equally　clear　that　humility
  is　a　permanent　necessity　as　a　condition　of　effort　and　self…examination。
  It　is　one　of　the　deadly　fallacies　of　Jingo　politics　that　a　nation
  is　stronger　for　despising　other　nations。　　As　a　matter　of　fact；
  the　strongest　nations　are　those；　like　Prussia　or　Japan；　which　began
  from　very　mean　beginnings；　but　have　not　been　too　proud　to　sit　at
  the　feet　of　the　foreigner　and　learn　everything　from　him。　　Almost　every
  obvious　and　direct　victory　has　been　the　victory　of　the　plagiarist。
  This　is；　indeed；　only　a　very　paltry　by…product　of　humility；
  but　it　is　a　product　of　humility；　and；　therefore；　it　is　successful。
  Prussia　had　no　Christian　humility　in　its　internal　arrangements；
  hence　its　internal　arrangements　were　miserable。　　But　it　had　enough
  Christian　humility　slavishly　to　copy　France　（even　down　to　Frederick
  the　Great's　poetry）；　and　that　which　it　had　the　humility　to　copy　it
  had　ultimately　the　honour　to　conquer。　　The　case　of　the　Japanese
  is　even　more　obvious；　their　only　Christian　and　their　only　beautiful
  quality　is　that　they　have　humbled　themselves　to　be　exalted。
  All　this　aspect　of　humility；　however；　as　connected　with　the　matter
  of　effort　and　striving　for　a　standard　set　above　us；　I　dismiss　as　having
  been　sufficiently　pointed　out　by　almost　all　idealistic　writers。
  It　may　be　worth　while；　however；　to　point　out　the　interesting　disparity
  in　the　matter　of　humility　between　the　modern　notion　of　the　strong
  man　and　the　actual　records　of　strong　men。　　Carlyle　objected
  to　the　statement　that　no　man　could　be　a　hero　to　his　valet。
  Every　sympathy　can　be　extended　towards　him　in　the　matter　if　he　merely
  or　mainly　meant　that　the　phrase　was　a　disparagement　of　hero…worship。
  Hero…worship　is　certainly　a　generous　and　human　impulse；　the　hero　may
  be　faulty；　but　the　worship　can　hardly　be。　　It　may　be　that　no　man　would
  be　a　hero　to　his　valet。　　But　any　man　would　be　a　valet　to　his　hero。
  But　in　truth　both　the　proverb　itself　and　Carlyle's　stricture
  upon　it　ignore　the　most　essential　matter　at　issue。　　The　ultimate
  psychological　truth　is　not　that　no　man　is　a　hero　to　his　valet。
  The　ultimate　psychological　truth；　the　foundation　of　Christianity；
  is　that　no　man　is　a　hero　to　himself。　　Cromwell；　according　to　Carlyle；
  was　a　strong　man。　　According　to　Cromwell；　he　was　a　weak　one。
  The　weak　point　in　the　whole　of　Carlyle's　case　for
  aristocracy　lies；　indeed；　in　his　most　celebrated　phrase。
  Carlyle　said　that　men　were　mostly　fools。　　Christianity；　with　a
  surer　and　more　reverent　realism；　says　that　they　are　all　fools。
  This　doctrine　is　sometimes　called　the　doctrine　of　original　sin。
  It　may　also　be　described　as　the　doctrine　of　the　equality　of　men。
  But　the　essential　point　of　it　is　merely　this；　that　whatever　primary
  and　far…reaching　moral　dangers　affect　any　man；　affect　all　men。
  All　men　can　be　criminals；　if　tempted；　all　men　can　be　heroes；　if　inspired。
  And　this　doctrine　does　away　altogether　with　Carlyle's　pathetic　belief
  （or　any　one　else's　pathetic　belief）　in　〃the　wise　few。〃
  There　are　no　wise　few。　　Every　aristocracy　that　has　ever　existed
  has　behaved；　in　all　essential　points；　exactly　like　a　small　mob。
  Every　oligarchy　is　merely　a　knot　of　men　in　the　streetthat　is　to　say；
  it　is　very　jolly；　but　not　infallible。　　And　no　oligarchies　in　the　world's
  history　have　ever　come　off　so　badly　in　practical　affairs　as　the　very
  proud　oligarchiesthe　oligarchy　of　Poland；　the　oligarchy　of　Venice。
  And　the　armies　that　have　most　swiftly　and　suddenly　broken　their
  enemies　in　pieces　have　been　the　religious　armiesthe　Moslem　Armies；
  for　instance；　or　the　Puritan　Armies。　　And　a　religious　army　may；
  by　its　nature；　be　defined　as　an　army　in　which　every　man　is　taught
  not　to　exalt　but　to　abase　himself。　　Many　modern　Englishmen　talk　of
  themselves　as　the　sturdy　descendants　of　their　sturdy　Puritan　fathers。
  As　a　fact；　they　would　run　away　from　a　cow。　　If　you　asked　one
  of　their　Puritan　fathers；　if　you　asked　Bunyan；　for　instance；
  whether　he　was　sturdy；　he　would　have　answered；　with　tears；　that　he　was
  as　weak　as　water。　　And　because　of　this　he　would　have　borne　tortures。
  And　this　virtue　of　humility；　while　being　practical　enough　to
  win　battles；　will　always　be　paradoxical　enough　to　puzzle　pedants。
  It　is　at　one　with　the　virtue　of　charity　in　this　respect。
  Every　generous　person　will　admit　that　the　one　kind　of　sin　which　charity
  should　cover　is　the　sin　which　is　inexcusable。　　And　every　generous
  person　will　equally　agree　that　the　one　kind　of　pride　which　is　wholly
  damnable　is　the　pride　of　the　man　who　has　something　to　be　proud　of。
  The　pride　which；　proportionally　speaking；　does　not　hurt　the　character；
  is　the　pride　in　things　which　reflect　no　credit　on　the　person　at　all。
  Thus　it　does　a　man　no　harm　to　be　proud　of　his　country；
  and　comparatively　little　harm　to　be　proud　of　his　remote　ancestors。
  It　does　him　more　harm　to　be　proud　of　having　made　money；
  because　in　that　he　has　a　little　more　reason　for　pride。
  It　does　him　more　harm　still　to　be　proud　of　what　is　nobler
  than　moneyintellect。　　And　it　does　him　most　harm　of　all　to　value
  himself　for　the　most　valuable　thing　on　earthgoodness。　　The　man
  who　is　proud　of　what　is　really　creditable　to　him　is　the　Pharisee；
  the　man　whom　Christ　Himself　could　not　forbear　to　strike。
  My　objection　to　Mr。　Lowes　Dickinson　and　the　reassertors　of　the　pagan
  ideal　is；　then；　this。　　I　accuse　them　of　ignoring　definite　human
  discoveries　in　the　moral　world；　discoveries　as　definite；　though　not
  as　material；　as　the　discovery　of　the　circulation　of　the　blood。
  We　cannot　go　back　to　an　ideal　of　reason　and　sanity。
  For　mankind　has　discovered　that　reason　does　not　lead　to　sanity。
  We　cannot　go　back　to　an　ideal　of　pride　and　enjoyment。　　For　mankind
  has　discovered　that　pride　does　not　lead　to　enjoyment。　　I　do　not　know
  by　what　extraordinary　mental　accident　modern　writers　so　constantly
  connect　the　idea　of　progress　with　the　idea　of　independent　thinking。
  Progress　is　obviously　the　antithesis　of　independent　thinking。
  For　under　independent　or　individualistic　thinking；　every　man　starts
  at　the　beginning；　and　goes；　in　all　probability；　just　as　far　as　his
  father　before　him。　　But　if　there　really　be　anything　of　the　nature
  of　progress；　it　must　mean；　above　all　things；　the　careful　study
  and　assumption　of　the　whole　of　the　past。　　I　accuse　Mr。　Lowes
  Dickinson　and　his　school　of　reaction　in　the　only　real　sense。
  If　he　likes；　let　him　ignore　these　great　historic　mysteries
  the　mystery　of　charity；　the　mystery　of　chivalry；　the　mystery　of　faith。
  If　he　likes；　let　him　ignore　the　plough　or　the　printing…press。
  But　if　we　do　revive　and　pursue　the　pagan　ideal　of　a　simple　and
  rational　self…completion　we　shall　endwhere　Paganism　ended。
  I　do　not　mean　that　we　shall　end　in　destruction。　　I　mean　that　we
  shall　end　in　Christianity。
  XIII。　　Celts　and　Celtophiles
  Science　in　the　modern　world　has　many　uses；　its　chief　use；　however；
  is　to　provide　long　words　to　cover　the　errors　of　the　rich。
  The　word　〃kleptomania〃　is　a　vulgar　example　of　what　I　mean。
  It　is　on　a　par　with　that　strange　theory；　always　advanced　when　a　wealthy
  or　prominent　person　is　in　the　dock；　that　exposure　is　more　of　a　punishment
  for　the　rich　than　for　the　poor。　　Of　course；　the　very　reverse　is　the　truth。
  Exposure　is　more　of　a　punishment　for　the　poor　than　for　the　rich。
  The　richer　a　man　is　the　easier　it　is　for　him　to　be　a　tramp。
  The　richer　a　man　is　the　easier　it　is　for　him　to　be　popular　and　generally
  respected　in　the　Cannibal　Islands。　　But　the　poorer　a　man　is　the　more
  likely　it　is　that　he　will　have　to　use